Category: Sisters

There have been a number of comments about this scheme, with some people defending it and some criticising it. Based on all of the comments, and having seen the application pack which the sisters mentioned below send out, I have come to the following conclusion:

* There seems to actually be an opportunity for sisters to study in this university, as well as other universities in the Kingdom. However, the nature of this opportunity and its conditions need further research.

* I strongly advise the sisters not to use the method mentioned below, regardless of the intention of the people involved. You do not need to use this method any more than the brothers need to in order to apply to Madinah University. It can be daunting to apply to a university in Saudi Arabia, but with a little bit of guidance, it can be quite easy.

* In shaa Allah, I plan to do further research into the opportunities available, over the next few days, and where it is possible to add the information to the site, then we will do so, if Allah wills.

* With regard to not needing a mahram – even if this is correct according to the conditions of the university (which is not confirmed), it is not Islamically permissible. The Prophet – may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him – said, “It is not permissible for a woman who believes in Allah and the Last Day to travel more than a day and a night’s travel, without a mahram.” This equates to a matter of a few miles, not thousands of miles to live in a different country. The correct opinion from the people of knowledge is that a woman cannot go to perform her obligatory Hajj without a mahram, so certainly she cannot do so for non-obligatory actions, no matter how good they are. How can a person go to seek the bounty of Allah in a way that angers and displeases Him? Whoever helps women to travel without a mahram is sinful and disobedient to Allah – the Exalted, and is turning people away from the path of Allah, not helping people towards it.Allah knows best, and He is the One who guides to the right path.

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I receieved this email from a normally very reliable source. However, it seems that this is not true. I don’t honestly know whether the opportunity is actually there, but it seems the fees are part of a scam. To be fair, I should have known better, because it is very unusual for a university here to charge fees, however, the source of the email made me think that it was legitimate.